


Dirty Pretty

by CaffeinatedWriter



Series: Fem!Slash Verse [1]
Category: Bully: Scholarship Edition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-10 07:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3282212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedWriter/pseuds/CaffeinatedWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As far as Gary’s concerned, she’s ugly on the inside and the outside, and that suits her just fine. Petra thinks she’s wonderful regardless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dirty Pretty

**Author's Note:**

> Every fandom needs some genderbent fanfiction.

Gary is the most interesting girl Petra has ever met.

When she was six, she cut off all her hair with a knife she found in the kitchen during a playdate, leaving Petra’s parents horrified and Petra confused about this girl she’d known all her life but suddenly seemed to know nothing about. 

A lot of what she did seemed to have no reasoning behind it. Rash decisions that she never seemed to regret.

All things considered, it’s better than the older girl having cut _her_ hair, but she learned quickly that the kind of hate Gary geared towards her was nothing to the destruction she wreaked upon herself.

They’re friends when it really comes down to it. Maybe because Petra is stupid, or because she feels bad, or even because she’s afraid of what Gary would do to her if they weren’t friends. Mostly though, its because she loves her.

Gary’s this side of too aggressive. She yells, and shoves, and is usually an unpleasant person to be around, but she treats Petra like she’s something worth keeping around. She puts value on Petra that no one else seems to, and she treats Petra both better and worse than everyone else.

She has such a problem concentrating on everything but the few things that interest her. Teachers just chalk it up to her being stupid or lazy, and her parents go along with it when Petra knows for a fact that Gary is intelligent beyond belief and anything but lazy. 

She sits back, she manipulates, but she’s not lazy.

The teachers won’t call her Gary, only Garyn even though she’s been going by Gary by her own demand since she was four. They always try to compromise, asking if she’d rather go by Ryn. 

Petra doesn’t understand why they can’t just call her what she wants. Pinky has a stupid name but no one’s trying to call her anything else.

It leads to one-sided screaming matches and Gary getting hauled out of the classroom by male teachers who touch her with caution, like she might bite. And she might, because she’s Gary and she’s done it before.

It’s almost like she doesn’t fully understand how to be human. 

There are things that other people do and say, and she just doesn’t understand how to respond so she explodes into this wild, angry thing. People dismiss her and it only fuels the behavior. Gary hates nothing more than to be ignored, except maybe exaggerated patience.

Petra’s not sure why Gary hates her name. It’s not common, and Petra understands that feeling all too well when her name hasn’t be used in the US since the 60s. But every time anyone makes the mistake, there’s hell, and the only one who gets away with it with minimal complaint is Gary’s mom who only calls her Garyn when she’s in trouble. Which is a lot really, but that’s Gary’s own fault.

Most annoyingly, Gary has taken to calling her Petey when she’s feeling playful, which is pretty much any moment she’s not feeling spiteful. Petra hates it. She’s perfectly fine with her given name, and unlike some people, Petra doesn’t want to be called a name with masculine context.

She’s thought that was it for some time. That maybe Gary wasn’t a girl to begin with. She’d learned about it on the internet. Sometimes that happens, and you’ve got to be supportive. Gary is her friend above all else, and it changed nothing really. 

She’s always been her own brand of person.

Gary hadn’t taken well to the suggestion. Made it perfectly clear that while she wasn’t a priss _like some people_ , it wasn’t her that had a problem with her being born a girl, stupid name aside. 

Petra hadn’t understood until the day Gary had come over with the nastiest looking gash above her eye, looking like she’d won some sort of prize instead of bled all over her face.

“I did it,” she chirped, bouncing on Petra’s bed, unconcerned for the pillows that were flying off everywhere or the fact that she’d just made the stupid thing. Petra’s not sure how Gary got in the house and made it to her room without one of her parents noticing her face.

“Did what?” Petra hums nervously, digging through her bedside table for a bandage that would work with the odd placement of the cut. Honestly, she’s probably going to have to get her mother to drive them to the hospital, but she needs to keep herself busy lest she take a good look at Gary and burst into tears. All that’ll get her is made fun of.

“I proved I was the best son!” she screams, crossing her legs in the air and landing with a solid thud on the bed. It jostles Petra and Gary nearly topples over to smack her face into the bedpost. Would have if Petra hadn’t been so quick to grab her arm and rebalance her.

Her heart is beating a thousand miles a minute, hand shaking where it’s still on Gary’s arm.

“You said-”

“I know what I said, Petey. It’s not about me. It’s about him. I’m the toughest. I’m the smartest. He doesn’t need a boy; he’s got me and I’m the best son!” 

Gary sounds a little hysterical, and that cements Petra’s decision to involve her mom and a trip to the hospital. Regardless of what the older girl says, she’s not okay.

Petra’s not sure what to do with this wonderful, horrible girl who drives her crazy. They’re too young for this; Gary is too young to know this much cruelty, from her father or herself.

It’s the summer before middle school, the summer before Bullworth, and suddenly, Petra’s not so sure it’s soon enough. Not for Gary, who she’s decided must be protected at all costs.

Several stitches later, the doctor tells her she’s guaranteed a pretty nasty scar, which doesn’t seem to phase Gary in the least. A trophy is what she calls it, and Petra doesn’t miss the look that her mother and the doctor share.

Afterwards, Petra’s mother asks an unapologetically chipper Gary what she wants to do to celebrate her victory. Petra goes to protest. Surely her mother doesn’t really consider having your face cut open a victory?

She’s quieted by a quick squeeze to the hand. 

Her mother is a lot of things, but she’s not stupid, and she’s not a novice when it comes to handling Gary.

Gary is silent as they walk back into the house, into the kitchen where Petra loves to spend time with her mother the most. 

Her mother is a wonderful cook, and they spend lots of hours in here, whether they’re cooking or not. It was something she’d been reluctant to share with Gary at first, but the older girl had been so taken to it, she couldn’t be too mad about having to share her mother.

Her mother doesn’t push, allowing Gary the time to think or remain silent as she pleases. It’s the kind of sincere patience Gary has rarely known.

“Cut my hair?” Gary finally speaks up, climbing onto one of the barstools along the island. She has this thing about being level with people. On level or above, never below. “Like…a pixie cut, but shave the sides?”

“What?” Petra cries out, smacking the island counter. Gary’s hair, since the incident at six, is always balled up into the messiest bun imaginable or otherwise free in an unkempt mess. Petra loves it. It’s very Gary and when she’s tired, she lets Petra play with it.

“Hush, Petra. We can absolutely cut your hair, Gary. Are you certain that’s what you want?” her mother asks, pulling out the scissors and razor they keep in the kitchen for quick trims. Her mother’s never seen the point of going to get haircuts professionally when it’s just as easy to do it at home.

“That’s what I want,” Gary insists, excitement bubbling up. 

She’s like that always. All this energy buzzing through her, uncontainable and forcing her to find ways to let it out faster. There’s pills she’s suppose to take for it, but Petra doesn’t know if she does or not. Gary doesn’t like to talk about it, and Petra was raised better than to ask.

The buzz of the razor is a little heartbreaking. 

Change is hard, and she’s afraid of what Gary’s parents are going to do when they find out. Even so, the girl looks much cleaner when all is said and done, and the look suits her. With the scarring gash and her new hair, she looks like a Gary who’s been waiting underneath the surface of the loud, angry girl Petra knows.

Still loud, still angry, but a touch more comfortable in her body.

She reminds herself of what she said when she thought Gary might not be a girl. Petra loves Gary regardless of who she is or what she looks like, even if what she looks like is broken.

Her mother explains to her later that control is important to a lot of people but most especially Gary.

—

Bullworth is a breeding ground of sexual harassment, especially for quickly developing girls. Fortunately, Gary quickly makes a name for herself, proving the scar is not just a cosmetic imperfection but that she is in fact a badass not to be messed with. 

Petra is hers to pick on, and more than one curious middle school boy got their ass handed to them before they learned their lesson.

It just makes everything easier when they go from girls to _girls with boobs_.

Gary bemoans every cup size. She ends up pretty busty, to which Petra is half jealous and half something else she doesn’t really understand. To make matters worse, the older girl never seems to grow out of lounging around the room partially naked, and Petra praises the day her mother introduces them both to bras.

Teachers at Bullworth are terrible, and they talk to the middle schoolers the same way they talk to the high schoolers, which is kinda cool but mostly uncomfortable. 

They’re either terrible at their subject or terrible people, some of them both. But they call Gary either Gary or Smith, and that’s already much better than teachers before.

The school gets tired of having to arrange for a room change every time Gary scares a new girl out of their room, and Gary has gotten surprisingly quick with it. The last girl hadn’t even finished unpacking. 

Eventually, their solution is to actually put some thought into who they’re shoving into a room with the scariest middle schooler to ever step foot in Bullworth, and Petra’s pretty sure some of the alumni are convicted murderers.

This is when they become acquainted with Zoe.

They’ve seen her around school of course, but she keeps mostly to herself and her group of friends which includes two older guys that look homeless and, on separate occasions, Mandy. 

Gary and Zoe get on like they’ve known each other for years. It’s perfect really, and Petra wonders why it took so long in the first place.

Zoe, despite her fiery attitude, is a really nice girl and pretty to boot. She’s got this beautiful red hair that leaves Petra running her fingers self-consciously through her own tangle of curls. It’s like the other girl is this effortless image of cool and self-confidence, able to roll with Gary’s punches without hesitance.

Petra is a little jealous. She’s not a spitfire like Zoe or Gary. She’s timid, and she’s generic, and the only use she is to Gary is a safe outlet for her aggression. 

Zoe seems to be able to take her place in that just as easily and without the risk of tears.

The heartbreak when she walks in on Gary and Zoe kissing is indescribable, so she sobs in the old bus instead. The homeless guy doesn’t even bother her.

They don’t date. It’s not something either of them are into, but they are friends who enjoy making out when the opportunity arises, and it arises a lot. Petra is in the room less and less, opting to spend time in the library or out in town. Visits home become more frequent, and though she can tell her mother is worried, she keeps quiet about it.

It’s like she doesn’t matter anymore. The value Gary use to place in her is gone, and that leaves her bitter more than anything else. Zoe’s pretty, and confident, and has other friends; why couldn’t she have left Petra this one thing?

Gary does occasionally wonder why Petey is spending less and less time in the room.

It’s a nice, casual thing that lasts a couple months before Zoe decides the kissing was fun, but she’s not really all that into girls. Gary shrugs, unaffected either way, and quickly learns there’s a lot of ways she can satisfy herself.

Petra takes the not-breakup as a sign she can start being in the room more often, especially since Zoe’s always out doing stuff with people. And it’s not that she hates the girl; Zoe has always been very nice and stuck up for her, but while things might not be awkward for Zoe and Gary, they’re very weird for her. 

Unfortunately, instead of walking in on Zoe and Gary making out, she’s now gotten more than a few eyefuls of Gary touching herself, leaving Petra a blushing, stammering mess.

Eighth grade, Burton touches Zoe in a way that has her running to Crabblesnitch before anyone else even knows about it, and news travels fast at Bullworth. 

Gary is furious, and Petra is horrified. Especially when Zoe gets expelled. The atmosphere around school darkens. Gym becomes the second most horrendous moments of Petra’s life.

They’re back down to two in their room and the awkward silence that fills it whenever Gary’s not picking at everything that Petra is. She’s too girly. She cries too much. Her clothes are stupid. She cares too much about her hair, which is stupid because it’s a fucking mess no matter what she does to it.

It all becomes too much one day, and Petra is pelting things at Gary from her dresser, uncaring even when bottles smash against the wall, staining Gary’s sheets with perfume and glass shards. 

The bullshit eyeliner she’s been attempting to master is running down her face because of angry tears, and Petra doesn’t even know why she bothers sometimes.

“Sorry I’m not Zoe!” she screams, voice hitching. Gary’s face hardens.

“Yeah, Petra? You wanna be Zoe? Really?” she yells back.

Petra gasps, sliding down her dresser. The knobs dig into her back; it hurts, and she’ll have bruises later, but it seems irrelevant at the moment. 

She curls into herself. It’s all very dramatic really, but everything seems out of control. She’s feels like they’re too young again. Too young to be dealing with this bullshit.

“I did,” she whispers.

“What?” Gary hisses.

“I wanted to be Zoe,” she admits, tugging on a strand of her hair. It hurts, but it tethers her to the situation. She’s made the plunge and she won’t back out now.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Gary sounds overwhelmed, which is strange. The older girl is always so sure of herself, or good enough at faking it that no one can tell the difference. Even Petra can only count on one hand the number of times she’s seen Gary as anything but strong.

“You liked Zoe,” Petra mumbles, looking up. Gary likes eye contact. She doesn’t like talking to people who won’t look at her, and Petra refuses to be so weak she can’t do that one thing for her best friend.

“I…what?” Gary stumbles, biting her lip. It’s a nervous habit. Petra hates it. She almost always ends up biting through.

“I just wanted you to like me too.”

Gary sputters, scrambling down on her hands and knees in front of Petra like she can’t do it fast enough. Scootching forward, she grabs the younger girl’s face. Petra stares back wide-eyed. 

Gary’s got the nervous, hysterical edge to her again. She can feel it through her hands.

“Are you stupid? I like you more than anyone. If you ever tell anyone I said this shit, I will shave your god damn head, but you’re mine, right?”

“Yeah,” Petra says, breathless and amazed.

They kiss, and Gary pulls back with a filthy grin.

“I can’t wait to teach you about orgasms.”

—

Gary loses her mind, sets the gym on fire, and ends up on medication for something she refuses to disclose to Petra. 

She’s left shaken by the whole ordeal, but the medication does seem to help.

—

Jamie Hopkins walks into the room while Gary is occupied between Petra’s thighs, which she thinks is pretty awesome but has Petra shoving at her with the same fingers that were pressing into her spine a second ago. 

Less awesome.

She maintains eye contact with the new girl as she removes her fingers, licking up the length of the middle one. Gary can’t see her, but Petra’s little whine has her smirking regardless. It’s good to be clear with these girls the school insists on putting in the room with them.

“Who are you?” Gary demands, wiping her hand on her jeans. It’s hot and all, but Gary’s not about to lick her girlfriend off all her fingers when there’s some strange, hot girl barging into their room likes she owns the place. Interrupting Gary’s back-to-school sex.

“Turned on,” the girl says with an answering smirk. “Jamie. Hopkins.”

Petra sits up, sliding her panties and her shorts back up her legs as quickly as she can. Her face is on fire, and it’s only made worse by Gary’s inappropriate playfulness and the possessive hand she curls around to cup Petra’s butt.

This Hopkins girl is interesting. 

She’s got the type of humor that compliments Gary’s, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but Petra’s always been a sucker for the kind of people that get on well with her girlfriend. It won’t win her many friends with the cliques, but she kinda gets the impression that Jamie isn’t that sort anyways.

Her head’s shaved too, but unlike Gary who is still rocking the all bangs thing, this girl is all shaved except for two strands of the brightest orange hair on either side of her head. 

It’s an interesting look all things considered, and it reminds Petra of the Townies. More specifically though, the girl reminds her of Zoe, and she feels a pang of regret.

Later, Gary will crawl into Petra’s bed, whispering about bitch handles and how fun they’d be to pull on while getting eaten out.

Petra’d be lying if she said she wasn’t thinking the exact same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Come love me at my [tumblr](http://beathimbacktotheghetto.tumblr.com)


End file.
